Humboldt HeartlandAndy WestfallAn excerpt from Andy Westfall’s new book about Humboldt’s family ranchers, Humboldt Heartland.

The Dream of History -The Presence of PastJerry RohdeThe author talks about the importance of place, and reviews Dennis and Gloria Turner’s new and revised edition of Place Names of Humboldt County.

A Winter’s WalkBob WunnerWhile hiking the Lost Coast in a storm on the winter solstice, the author reflects on the different ways “lost” applies to events in its history.

Peter Philipsen and the Humboldt CreameryMyrtle PhilipsenThe story of the man who organized the Humboldt Creamery Association.

The cover features details from photographs per­taining to three stories in this issue: “A Distant Horizon Called Home” which tells the little known tale of Dr. Kurt Munchheimer of Rio Dell; “Humboldt Heartland” an excerpt from Andy Westfall’s gorgeous new book about Humboldt’s family ranchers; and “A Sea Captain’s Odyssey,” a review of Marvin Shepherd’s new book, the first-ever biography of Captain H.H. Buhne.

You can probably identify the ranching photo­graphs from Andy Westfall’s Humboldt Heartland: Walt Giacomini and his horse are in the top row; Don Jaunarena’s dog Bett is in the bottom row; and the snow-covered trees are details from a photo of John Hay checking on cows at Fort Baker Ranch. Photographs appear courtesy of Andy Westfall. See more from Humboldt Heartland on page 22. Representing Marvin Shephard’s “A Sea Captain’s Odyssey,” are Captain Buhne’s daughters, Sophie and Georgie, seen in the top row, at Buhne’s ranch, Camp Solitude, on Humboldt Hill. The photo appears cour­tesy of Robert Redmond. In the second row is a draw­ing of Buhne’s house in Eureka, and in the third row is the whaling bark Clementine, on which a young Buhne sailed the South Seas. See page 20 for Virginia Sparks’ review of The Sea Captain’s Odyssey. A young Dr. Kurt Munchheimer in Africa, and the Munchheimer family during their six-year intern­ment in Jamaica, are seen in the lower rows. Part one of their remarkable life’s journey begins on page 10.